Russia has warned that Syria would descend into
"bloody chaos" should a proposal from Lakhdar
Brahimi, the international envoy, to set up a
transitional government fail.

By Damien McElroy, Ruth Sherlock and Robert Tait
in Jerusalem

December 27, 2012 "The
Telegraph"
-- Mr Brahimi, the international Syrian peace
envoy, challenged all sides in the conflict to work
together to pave the way for democratic elections
and sideline President Bashar al-Assad.

His proposal received strong backing from Sergei
Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister who said
negotiations were the only way to end the fighting.

"The alternative to a peaceful solution is bloody
chaos. The longer it continues, the greater its
scale – and the worse things get for all," he said.

After five days of negotiations with the regime in
Damascus, Mr Brahimi claimed to have the outlines of
a power-sharing pact but his proposals were
instantly rejected by the main opposition council.

It has been angered by the suggestion that Mr Assad
could stay on as figurehead despite the deaths of
45,000 in the fighting.

The Christmas mission by Mr Brahimi, who has kept a
low profile for months, alongside a "softening" of
Russia's hardline support of Assad's regime, has
lifted hopes for a diplomatic end to Syria's civil
war.

Mr Brahimi said the regime must make once
unthinkable concessions to the leaders of the
21-month uprising.

"Change should not be cosmetic – the Syrian people
need and require real change, and everyone
understands what that means," said Mr Brahimi, the
joint UN-Arab League envoy.

"We need to form a government with all powers ...
which assumes power during a period of transition.
That transition period will end with elections."

Speaking before he prepared to fly to Moscow on
Friday, Mr Brahimi also warned, however, that there
must not be a "collapse of the state or the state's
institutions" during any power-sharing period.

Yasser Tabbara, a spokesperson for Syria Opposition
Coalition, said the terms outlined by the envoy were
unacceptable.

"It has been the position of the coalition that we
need to find a quick solution on the issue of Bashar
al-Assad stepping down. The priority of the
Coalition is to preserve lives and finish this with
the least casualties. However, the plans proposed by
Lakhdar Brahimi are out of touch with reality," he
said. "The plan takes us back months and months, if
not years."

One European official said there was "nothing that
gave credence" to suggestions that Russian was
moving closer to a joint approach with the US and
other opposition backers.

Grassroots rebel supporters believe the Brahimi
mission is a distraction at time when fighters have
advanced to the gates of the presidential palace in
Damascus.

"As long as the regime is still bombarding its
people with missiles, how can we accept Assad
hanging on," said a British-based activist from Homs.
"We will change Assad even if it does take longer
than we hope."

Alarm over Syria's disintegration led to crisis
talks between Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime
minister and King Abdullah of Jordan over the fate
of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal.

The meeting – the first between the two leaders in
two-and-a-half years – was confirmed in anonymous
briefings to the Israeli media after it was
initially reported by the London-based Arabic
newspaper, Al-Qods Al-Arabi.

It is believed Mr Netanyahu travelled to Jordan
without the knowledge of Israeli diplomats.

Mr Netanyahu publicly predicted the collapse of Mr
Assad's regime this week and warned of
"implications" for Syria's stockpile of chemical
weapons.

Israel fears the weapons could fall into the hands
of Islamists fighting Mr Assad or the Lebanese Shia
group, Hizbollah, an ally of Iran.

Mr Netanyahu's government has twice sought Jordan's
co-operation to attack the weapons facilities,
according to the Atlantic magazine.

"Reports of this meeting in the press are quite
credible," one Israeli official told The Daily
Telegraph. "It makes a lot of sense to have
top-level co-ordination [between Israel and Jordan]
about non-conventional weapons, which are a matter
of great concern here."

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